Front view of the Sculpture

The sculpture is basically finished as far as Barry is concerned. Now the piece, which is over 10 feet tall, will dry. Once ready for the mold, they will take a mold of it and then cast the mold in bronze. That is how the sculpture is transformed from its original version to its final finished form. Beautiful!

The Face is Complete on July 30, 2011

After two and half weeks, Barry completed the face of the sculpture. Actually, he completed the sculpture already and is just doing touch up work. Wow. He must have been working very hard.

My friend, Jallim, on the scaffolding

This is Maggie posting for Barry, who sent this picture today. Jallim is a sculptor from...hmmm, I seem to forget his home islands. Ah well, he is a fun person to hang around with, according to Barry.

Sculptor from Italy

Having a Good Day

I'm Pretty Happy with the Face

The face is coming along nicely. Barry is pretty happy with it so far.

Notice the Sign

Notice the sign in this picture.

Worked on the Face this Afternoon

Barry sent this from China. He worked on the face of the sculpture today. Although he said he wasn't feeling well, he worked hard and the day turned out pretty productive.

Hang loose

A sea of Sculptures

Barry is pointing to his sculpture. He told me that he thought of a sea of sculptures when he looked out over the huge gym where the organizing committee set up work stations for all indoor sculptures.

Opening Day

Remember the Armature

Gosh, I should have posted these photos first, but remember the armature of the sculpture? It's very well reinforced and stabilized.

Lunch Crowd

On the Bus

On the Bus going to the studio which is about 15 to 20 minutes away. There are assistants and translators and they are dressed in uniform pink or red depending on their designations.

Going to the Buses

There are four big tour buses that carry 40 people each.

The Studio Setting Up

I'm putting up these pictures somewhat backwards. Barry sent them much earlier. Look at the studio where about 60 or so sculptors will be working everyday. Yep. There's no day off in China.

Another Look

Another perspective of the sculpture

Baby's Torso - close up

The baby's torso.

Other side of baby

Morning of July 27, 2011 - work continues

Morning of July 27, 2011 (see the little orange maquette)

Morning of July 27, 2011. See the little orange maquette silently watching. Barry continues to work hard.

Sculpture Coming Along Nicely

Barry continues to make good progress and the sculpture is coming along nicely.

Play it again Sandy

Entertainment

Entertainment from the artists cutting loose and relaxing.

Good Shot

A good shot of Barry close up and working details into the sculpture.

Making Real Progress

Real Progress.The sculpture is coming along nicely.

Wrapping the Sculpture overnight.

Stone Yard

The stone yard, that's where you most need masks to protect your lungs and eyes. Barry was supposed to have stone and bronze on his artwork, but there was an error in communication and he ended up working with bronze only. This is okay though because with stone, there is too much hard material to work with. You know what I mean?

Another Assistant

I think Barry is enjoying his work even more when there are eye candies around. Frankly I think it's healthy.

Artist from Greece

This sculptor is from Greece, assisted by young workers.

Artist from Aghanistan

Did I mention that there are artists from 96 different countries working, building their sculptures in Changchun? The continents of the world are represented. This photo is of an sculptor from Afghanistan.

Barry and Fancy

Fancy is the girl's name...well, her English name, I suppose. Barry says she and another student met him and other artists at the Changchun airport. In this photo, she had just given Barry a gift.

Sculptors from Finland and Tanzania

These are two sculptors who are with Barry in China. They are from Finland and Tanzania. Barry says they are nice people

Taking a break

Bear makes this kind of work look easy, but you can imagine how heavy a big ball of clay can be, especially wet clay. Yikes! But he is building his sculpture and his vision will soon be realized. See the face of the baby coming out already?

A Visit to See and Old Friend

In 2008, Barry flew to Changchun to create the pieces you see here in this photo. He calls his trip to the park "A Visit to See an Old Friend". The over 10 feet tall sculpture is a two piece, one made with bronze and the other with stainless steel. Barry saw his artworks placed nicely and exhibited proudly on the grounds of Changchun's Sculpture Park. It must be a good feeling to see so much appreciation for one's work. I love this two piece sculpture.

The Studio Before

Take a look at this gigantic space where the artists, those not working with stone, are assigned a spot.

Working It

Yes indeed, Barry works the clay and creates the face of the baby that will emerge eventually. One must be dedicated to such work to continue with it. Dedication and hard work with a vision is what you need to create this piece of sculpture.

Getting Some Real Work Done

This is some real hard work. Lugging heavy clay up on the scaffolding and maneuvering it to its proper place on the hulking piece is not easy (I say). By the way, this is Maggie, Barry's wife. I'm posting the pictures that Barry sends me because he cannot access google blog from China. This photo shows how much hard work building a sculpture can be. Look at the muscles in Barry's arms.

Clay Day

Barry has his hands full of clay and loving it. He is in his element.

The piece begins to form

The armature was built quickly and the clay building began soon thereafter. Barry said the clay was too moist and a bit difficult to work with, but all in all, it was good and the work continued.

Bar & Dorothea from San Marino

Bar stands with fellow sculptor from a small country called San Marino, a little independent country within Italy. I looked up the country and they have almost zero unemployment rate. I don't know what Dorothea's sculpture is going to be, but she looks like she's been hard at work on it.

Barry and Assistant, Xiao

It looks like they are having so much fun, right? Well, what they have is harmony in their work. Barry's assistant, Xiao, is a college student. Most of the assistants assigned to work with the artists are students of a nearby university. Barry tells me that Xiao works hard and is always eager to do more. Such help and company always lightens the workload.

Barry in China 2011 #2

In the last few days, I have received several pictures from Barry. I should have posted them as soon as I received them from Bar, but ah well, what can I say? This is a photo of Bar working, building. It's not all glamour you know. There's a lot of grunt work that goes hand in hand with beautiful artwork.

Progress in the 12th Sculpture Symposium 7/25/11

This is Maggie. I am writing for my husband, Barry, who is in China working to create the sculpture that was selected by the organizing committee of the Twelfth Sculpture Symposium in Changchun. When done, this piece will be over 14 feet tall and will be all bronze.

Barry is one of 104 artists selected among over 400 who submitted works for consideration in the symposium. This may be the largest symposium in Changchun with over 96 countries represented. The Symposium will culminate in a Conference scheduled for September 1-2, 2011.

I hope you will enjoy this post. I hope to continue to add more pictures as Barry sends them to me. You see, he cannot access google blog from China because of the current blocks in place. Enjoy!